Carers Rights Day takes place on 26th November, focused around making sure that carers are aware of their rights and have access to the relevant advice and support services. From medical support, to financial options, and legal advice; there’s a lot more than just the caring to cover when you become a carer for the first time. There is a lot of help and advice out there for carers, but the amount of information can be overwhelming or difficult to access. This can cause confusion for carers looking to find solutions for property, financial, medical or legal needs. 

We recently asked carers in our community if they feel aware of their rights as carers and the resounding answer was no. They highlighted that they’re sure there is something in place already but they struggle finding a way to access the relevant information or services. They particularly felt that they were not sufficiently financially supported as a carer, communicating the need for more advice and long term plan options. They identified these key ways to make their experiences as carers easier:

1. Advice covering respite, counselling, mental health, capacity training and financial benefits.
2. Access to the information for the cared for, with full GP records. 
3. Being able to find everything that they are entitled to, in just one place.
4. More help with elderly planning for the future including physical support, medical equipment, access to support and monitoring and mobility aids for each health event – falls, injuries, accidents etc.

More than ever we feel it’s important for carers to have access to the information and services they need. Since the pandemic struck, there are not only an increased number of carers, but current carers are having to work harder due to services being limited during this time. In a recent survey by Carers UK, of 6000 people 78% reported that the needs of the person they care for have increased during the pandemic. We see the importance of carers being supported just as much as the people they care for. 

For cares looking to know more about their rights, we recommend downloading the free ‘Looking after someone’ guide by Carers UK for an outline of your rights as a carer.

Once you’ve identified your rights and your needs, we can help direct you to the best services for you. At Tutella we work with corporate clients, providing financial, medical, and legal support to their employees who have caring responsibilities. We listen to each employees individual needs and draw up bespoke care plans with practical short term and long term care suggestions. If your company has signed up with us already just register with us, or give us a call on 0203 474 0887.

If you think you’d benefit from our service as a carer, ask your employer to get in touch. You can find out more information on our Services page. 

Working from home is here to stay, but how to make sure your employees feel connected and motivated during this time? As an employer, it’s important to understand the needs of your employees, some may be caring for an older relative, others may have young children and may be struggling with the work/life balance when working from home. Second lockdown will be particularly difficult for those who have increased caring responsibilities, but there’s lots you can do to accommodate their needs, helping them stay motivated and connected to your company. 

We’ve put together some ideas to help make sure you can be there for your working carers during a second lockdown.

1) Work the job around them  

Whether it’s introducing flexible hours, allowing employees to work from home or re-distributing workloads, it’s important to make sure your working carers are supported in the second lockdown. Enabling employees to move work around when they need to means you’ll maintain their trust and loyalty, and they’re able to work when they’re focused and present. This period has left many unwilling or feeling unable to take leave, but they can still make the most of their days off. Promote the benefits of them taking some leave, they may not be able to go away, but they can still take some time for themselves, be able to better balance their caring responsibilities and avoid burning out.

2) Communication is key 

For employees who are carers, they may have extra caring responsibilities during the second lockdown. Be mindful of this and keep them in the loop, checking in on them with regular chats at a time that suits them. A good relationship comes from getting to know someone better. You’ll not only be helping with some of their potential work-related anxieties, but you’ll also be able to listen and hear what’s working for them and what you can improve on. To improve communication and connection as a team, you could do company wide virtual coffee mornings, discussing different topics and giving updates.

3) Advice and support

The pandemic has meant that nurseries, schools and care homes have had to close or are running at limited capacity. Help those who are caring for a loved one by signposting them to your benefits or support system. Don’t have one in place already? We offer personalised care plans for your employees so they can make the best decisions for their loved ones.   

4) Positive reinforcement 

With extra caring responsibilities, priorities change. Your employees may be feeling frustrated, anxious or inadequate that they’re not able to deliver as well as they were pre-lockdown. It’s important they know that they’re still doing a good job. Help boost their confidence by commending them for the good work they do. Setting short-term achievable tasks can also be a great way to keep them motivated and confident in their abilities.

Contact us:

Telephone: 0203 474 0887

Email: info@tutella.co

The prime minister pledged over a year ago to “fix the crisis in social care once and for all”. From the bed-blocking crisis to long waiting lists for care at home, the social care crisis has been well documented. The issue arising from the fact that the UK population is getting older and the group who typically need the most care support, the elderly, are now the fastest growing age group in the UK. The Office for National Statistics reports that by 2041 there will be double the number of UK citizens 85 years and over. This will undoubtably add to the already growing strain on our health care service. 

To solve this issue, the government have proposed a radical plan. Charge the over 40’s £700 extra tax, to cover the cost of their care later on in life. Similar strategies have been successfully adopted by other countries, namely Japan and Germany. Caroline Abrahams, the charity director at Age UK, states that these strategies “offer[s] a level of provision and reassurance that we can only dream of here at the moment.” 

There is no question that a strategy is needed to ensure that the appropriate care can be given to those that need it, when they need it most. The average cost of a care home is almost £1000 per week, according to Which?. Currently, if your capital is over £23,250 then you are expected to self-fund your care needs which is not sustainable for everyone. The cost of care is one issue, to add to this, there is insufficient care to help the elderly to stay at home. 1.5million people miss out on social care that could help them stay at home, and are instead being prematurely moved into care homes which are growing more expensive, and can require them to sell their homes to cover the costs.

The clock is ticking. In 2018 advisors calculated that the National Insurance Contributions (NIC) pot, will run dry by April 2033. This is the pot from which state pensions are paid.

The new proposal may be the most plausible solution to the social care problem, but it may not be the most popular plan. Over 40’s typically tend to have outstanding bills and loans to pay, covering student loans, child care and mortgages. Could this anger a generation that already have substantial costs to cover? 

Covid-19 has affected the lives of every single person in the UK in one form or another. The ever-rising number of deaths and the economic plight are frequently spoken of in the media. Yet, what about the social effect of the virus? There is no doubt that the pandemic has changed the care needs of patients, for those in care homes and for those who are at home.

We have noticed a paradigm shift from client’s enquiring about placing their loved ones into care homes during this time, to keeping their elderly parents at home and managing their long term illnesses as best they can.  Many are taking this decision as a necessary precaution to minimise the risk of contracting C19. According to the Office for National Statistics by May 1st there had been 8312 coronavirus deaths in care homes in England and Wales. This number totals a quarter of all coronavirus deaths to that date. It doesn’t inspire confidence that care homes are a safe space for your loved ones.

Care homes are particularly prone to coronavirus outbreaks due to close living quarters for residents, the necessary risk of having external staff come in to care for the residents and that often the elderly have underlying diseases that can affect their ability to fight off the virus. With this taken into account, it is unsurprising that people have opted to keep loved ones at home. A poll conducted by IPPR found a third of people were less likely to seek residential care as a result of COVID-19.

This shift in care needs affects both the cared for and those who have become sole care providers during lockdown, many whilst attempting to work or study. The full detrimental effect of the pandemic on mental health is still being explored. A recent study conducted by the Alzheimer’s Society found that 45% of participants said lockdown has caused their mental health to deteriorate. Isolated from friends and without usual routines, as well as the anxiety of being classed within the ‘vulnerable’ category is taking its toll.

So too on the caregivers who are caring full time for friends or family members. According to a BBC News report, there are an estimated 800,000 young carers in the UK, many of whom have taken on greater responsibilities of care during the lockdown, where vital supports and assessments have been put on hold. A poll conducted by the Carers Trust found that 40% of participants stated their mental health had worsened during lockdown. Without the reprieve of going to school or being able to see friends, young carers are experiencing high levels of uncertainty and anxiety, with many overwhelmed with the increased demands of care and feeling behind on schoolwork. They also found that 67% of young carers are more worried about what the future holds. 

The long term effects of COVID-19 on the care system are still unknown. Attitudes towards placing loved ones in care homes will not change overnight, and the mental health fall-out may with us for years to come. What is clear is that more awareness and more support is needed for those struggling to cope during the pandemic, and further research needs to be done to determine the best cause of action within the “new normal”.

Tutella is constantly evolving to fit the needs of our growing user base. We want to provide the best experience for Tutella members that we can so we often make updates to the site. Some are small and may not be noticeable, others will be immediately recognisable.

In the latest updates we’ve completely changed how you navigate you the website to make things simpler and clearer. You’ll notice that the menu of the site has changed so that it’s easier to understanding when you are viewing someone else’s profile, and it’s more obvious how to interact with that person.

We’ve made lots of changes to make the network even more secure. We’ve also updated the way that you as new people to your circle and invite people to join Tutella. Ultimately, these changes won’t affect you and there’s nothing that you need to do to continue using Tutella, you’ll just have a more seamless experience.

If you have any ideas about how we can improve Tutella or if you’re having any trouble, please take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions. If you don’t find an answer there, you can always email us at feedback@tutella.co.

Tutella.co is designed to provide a free-to-use communication channel between friends and family, healthcare professionals, patients and support groups during the crisis time when people are in hospital or care.

The time someone gets admitted to hospital is often one of the most stressful periods a family goes through and they and close friends need information and need to communicate, but in a private environment. That’s what tutella.co provides.

We’re not trying to replace Facebook as the social network everyone uses day to day, what we’re doing is providing a private, secure, easy-to-set-up and use closed social network where you can invite the right people in to share information about what’s happening and what needs to be done. At the same time Tutella also allows wider communication via normal social media channels but also allows medical professionals to contribute to the closed network in a private environment.

It really helps everyone to take the stress out of what is a very difficult time.

Nurses are backing the scheme as it means communication with and about the patient does not always have to go through them – anything to reduce the huge amount of time every ward nurse spends on the phone during every shift.